2017-10-04

Secession Movement in Brazil Picks Up Steam

Whiter and richer than the rest of Brazil, these southern states with cooler weather have long nursed separatist ambitions. Rio Grande do Sul even briefly claimed independence 180 years ago. Few Brazilians expect the current movement to succeed any time soon, not least because it is prohibited by the Constitution. But the country’s deepest recession on record and a massive corruption scandal have exacerbated the region’s longstanding resentment towards the federal government in Brasilia. With just one year to go until general elections, the rekindling of separatist sentiment in the south is another indicator of the unsettled state of Brazilian politics.

These aren't the good times in Brazil, but the really bad times still haven't arrived yet. Expect this secession movement to accelerate. If I was buying real estate in Brazil, I'd head to these areas. Similarly in the U.S., although it's early, it pays to think where you want to live/do business/own property if the nation fractures and the locals are setting tax and currency policy for the nation.

Governments are going to start collapsing all over the globe. Diversity within a single political unit is over. The age of city states and small nation states has returned. The most diverse nations will fracture the most. The most ethnically homogeneous will survive. China and Japan are looking good if they avoid a shooting war.